Hall Alec Image 4 Grimsby Town 1938

Description

Grimsby, Lincolnshire born wing half Alec Hall began his football career at Cleethorpes Town in 1928 and joined First Division hometown club Grimsby Town in May 1929, serving his apprenticeship in Grimsby’s “A” and Midland League (reserve) teams before making his Football League debut at Everton in April 1930, immediately establishing himself as a first team regular. Nicknamed “Ginger”, after Grimsby were relegated in 1932 he was an ever present as they won the Second Division Championship in 1934, a feat he repeated over each of the following two seasons as they consolidated their position back in the First Division, helping The Mariners to finish in their highest ever League position of fifth in 1934-35 and then playing in their 1936 FA Cup semi final team narrowly beaten by eventual winners Arsenal at Leeds Road, Huddersfield. Indeed Hall missed only 8 matches in the six seasons between 1933-34 and 1938-39, being ever present in four of those campaigns, truly a club stalwart during the most successful period in the history of Grimsby Town.

Hall was again an ever present in 1938-39, by when he had become club captain, although it proved the final peacetime season before the Second World War, and he was again on the wrong side of an FA Cup semi final when Grimsby lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1939 semi final at Old Trafford. His career was then significantly interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, but after the War he returned to Blundell Park, playing in their 1946 FA Cup campaign and then in 23 First Division and FA Cup matches in their first peacetime campaign of 1946-47, and he played his final match for The Mariners in a defeat at Huddersfield Town in September 1947, the following year he retired from professional football, joining non league Alford United after 4 goals in 390 appearances for Grimsby Town, already aged nearly 39.